Xixia Gap.
This was the northwestern edge of Tianyu City’s urban area. Beyond it lay the sparsely populated rural zones, which appeared as a vast expanse of darkness.
The Xixia Gap at night was like a gateway between two worlds, wedged between two tall mountains and accompanied by the Wei River, separating darkness from light.
Seven or eight figures, bundled up tightly, stood by the riverbank, waiting silently.
Suddenly, a sharp glint flashed in the eyes of the leader, hidden in the shadows, as he looked in a specific direction. “He’s here.”
The group lined up, facing Su Wenlong who was approaching.
“Where are my wife and daughter?” Su Wenlong gnashed his teeth. His expression alone showed he was barely containing his fury and fear.
The leader stepped forward, stopping about five meters away, and smirked. “I only told you to come. I never said I’d return them to you.”
“You—you’re despicable!” Su Wenlong trembled with rage but still held back his anger. He took a moment to steady himself, then said in a low voice, “Just state your terms.”
The lead black man laughed heartily a few times. “Your son and daughter-in-law told you, didn’t they? If I’m not mistaken, they’re following close by right now.”
He finished with a confident smile.
A flicker of panic crossed Su Wenlong’s face, and his voice suddenly stammered. “Wh-what are you talking about? They didn’t come…”
“Didn’t come?” The lead man sneered, turned, and began to walk away. “Not enough sincerity. Go back. We’ll talk another time.”
“Wait, don’t go!” Su Wenlong said anxiously. “You can take me as a hostage instead. Let them go, and I’ll go with you.”
“Oh?” The black man raised an eyebrow mockingly. “Don’t think I don’t know your plan. The moment the mother and daughter appear, Ye Qingyi and Su Mo, hiding in the shadows, will rush out to cut me down and rescue them.”
“Well, sorry to disappoint, but I won’t fall for that. I’m not that stupid.” As he spoke, he pulled out a remote control and addressed the space where he assumed Su Mo and Ye Qingyi were hiding. “I know you’re capable, but a bomb is even more so. If you don’t want them to die horribly, think carefully before you make a move.”
A long moment passed. Besides the night wind, there wasn’t a single stir.
No one tried to snatch the remote from his hand. The air was chilly and somewhat awkward.
Then, Su Wenlong spoke again: “According to what my son said, you probably want to exchange them for one of your own people.”
“Correct.”
“Good.” A sharp light flashed in Su Wenlong’s eyes, and he suddenly charged at the black man.
Unfortunately, the short knife hidden in his clothes hadn’t even left its sheath before the black man kicked him to the ground. “You old fool! Who do you think you are?”
Su Wenlong coughed several times before stopping. Just as he prepared to counterattack again, the black man struck him with the back of his hand, knocking him out.
Even now, no one had appeared.
“How strange. What kind of son would watch his own father get beaten without lifting a finger? Either Su Mo really isn’t here, or he’s one cold-hearted man.”
“So, what do we do now?”
“What else can we do? We head back. The key player didn’t show up. This trip was a waste.” The leader muttered under his breath about bad luck, but his eyes kept darting around, his vigilance undiminished.
“What about Su Wenlong? Do we take him with us?”
“Bring him. An extra person means extra leverage.”
“Yes, sir!”
The group cautiously disappeared into the night…
Far away, behind a cluster of trees, Su Mo was speaking seriously to the empty air: “Qingyi, don’t act rashly yet. Let’s figure out their details first. Wait for Beidou’s investigation results to come in; I’ll read them to you.”
Just as he spoke, a new message arrived on his phone. Opening it, he found the information on the men and proceeded to read it aloud:
“Li Kui, C-Class. Formerly one of Yaxian’s subordinates, ranked among the Eight Elites. Later worked under Li Xiaomou and remained within Xia Country’s borders. One of Beidou’s primary fugitives.”
“Wang Li, D-Class. One of the Eight Elites. Yaxian’s subordinate, later worked under Li Xiaomou…”
…
There were eight in total, exactly Yaxian’s former Eight Elites, specialists who handled tasks for him. They now belonged to Meixian. Apart from Li Kui, who was C-Class, all were D-Class.
Their strength was average, but their methods were certainly not simple. After all, those chosen by Yaxian were never weak.
Like Li Xiaomou, for example… or even himself.
Therefore, Su Mo and Ye Qingyi didn’t plan to confront them head-on directly. Instead, they had Ye Qingyi infiltrate the enemy’s ranks as a hostage to gather more information.
Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.
This plan was Ye Qingyi’s idea. He was the executor this time, and Ye Qingyi’s ability to ‘possess’ him played a key role in the operation.
His disguised self, as Su Wenlong, getting knocked out served two purposes: it fit the character profile, and it was precisely to infiltrate the enemy.
By now, Su Mo had long since calmed down. While sharing the information about the eight with Ye Qingyi, he also conveyed his own thoughts and suggestions.
After confirming the Eight Elites had moved off into the distance, Su Mo planned to wait quietly for news from Ye Qingyi.
He told her about his ability to hear her…
When she found out, she was mortified for a long time. If it weren’t for the pressing matters at hand, Su Mo would definitely have teased her to tears.
He wasn’t sure what kind of peculiar preference this was, but it was honestly what he felt like doing…
In the darkness, the barrel of a large sniper rifle slowly extended. The sniper adjusted his aim while constantly monitoring the distant figure, ensuring she didn’t detect anything amiss.
Confirming his target, with a loud roar, the distant figure was hit in the back and fell to the ground.
After taking the shot, the sniper immediately changed position, observing the target through his scope.
As for checking the body, others would handle that; he didn’t need to worry about it.
“Huh? Where did she go?”
He hadn’t paid close attention before, but now, looking properly, he was shocked to discover that the target he had hit had vanished from the spot.
To be precise, the *body* had disappeared from the spot!
He suddenly realized something and immediately abandoned his rifle to flee. But in the blink of an eye, a nimble figure was rapidly closing in on his location. He hadn’t seen any of his own team members.
Run!
It was the only thought in his mind now.
In the darkness, the two figures began a chase, one after the other, their roles as hunter and prey perfectly reversed.
Admittedly, the sniper was excellent; his escape route was entirely to his advantage. But to his despair, the person chasing him seemed to completely ignore the obstacles he had carefully prepared, smashing through everything with a single punch.
Damn it, how am I supposed to deal with this!
In the blink of an eye, the two figures met.
The sniper suddenly spun around, drew the extraordinary firearm at his waist, and pulled the trigger. The bullet sped towards the abdomen of the approaching figure. “At this range, even a C-Class can’t survive this shot. You can’t escape… What the hell?!”
His eyes widened like copper bells, as if he had seen something utterly unbelievable.